314 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[April 28, 1863. 



an unfortunate one), of a terrace. A, is the unseen though not 

 less real perpendicular line, G B, is the natural or made hori- 

 zontal line, on a plane with the horizon. B b, are parallel lines. 

 B 1 may be supposed to be a level horizontal line raised artificially 

 as the surface of a terrace. G H is a sloping hypotheneuse line 

 in the form of a bank on one side of that terrace ; c, an archi- 

 tectural perpendicular line bounding the other side of the terrace ; 

 E, a continuation of the horizontal line B, either Eatural or made 

 artificially to give relief to the perpendicular c ; r>, a natural 

 slope of the ground forming the irregular hypotheneuse line to 

 another triangle. 



We hare said that this figure, though illustrating these lines, 

 is as to the position of a terrace unfortunate. Terraces are most 

 commanding when they join a mansion, and when the ground 

 slopes from them instead of down to them. In such cases earth 

 for the purpose can easily be obtained, and the whole of the 

 excavations for foundations and cellarage, even if there are no 

 offices below ground, can be rendered effectual for this purpose 

 instead of being carted away. 



A terrace walk will also be very effective when made horizontal 

 along the sloped line of a hill, with a steep ramp, as a H, in 

 front of it ; but we should think it rather strange if for forming 

 it we were to dig a ditch, as at E, behind it, out of the rising 

 ground D. For what these lines represent we can see no place 

 whence the earth to form the terrace is to come from, except 

 from the small space above E, as represented by the dotted lines 

 C D. » Suppose that a terrace is made in such a position, there is 

 nothing for it but carting from a distance and using the foun- 

 dations and cellarage of the mansion for such a purpose. A 

 terrace should never be commenced without calculating the yards 

 of solid hard-rammed soil that will be required, and whence that 

 soil can be easily obtained. If the soil at any one part should 

 be raised from a yard to two or more yards in height, it matters 

 little what the bottom layers may be — brickbats, rubbish, clay, 

 anything provided it be well rammed, and if flower-gardening 

 is intended, there be from 18 to 24 inches of good soil on the 

 surface. If grass only is wanted, then the half of that will he 

 enough. The layers of soil should never be above 4 inches thick 

 before being well beaten, and the more they are wheeled and 

 carted over, and rolled heavily as the work goes on, the better 

 will the ground stand at the desired level. 



Unfortunate as we judge the position of the line B 1 as the top 

 of a terrace, there are many such to be found, and much admired 

 by their possessors and friends; and no doubt they will always 

 yield dry walks at all times and seasons. Two of these have 

 already been noticed in these pages : one of them is between the 

 lawn and the park in front of a palatial residence. Carry the 

 horizontal line G P farther back through level lawn to the man- 

 sion, and carry the line E horizontally almost into the park, and 

 you have one of these terraces. Let P G, a s, B 1, stand as they 

 are, but change the upright c into a slope like G H, and extend 

 E to a good wide level as a pleasure ground, and you have an 

 exact resemblance of the other. What they could have been 

 made for, unless for getting rid of foundations and cellarage, we 

 never could make out. Except for securing a dry wide walk, 

 they are every way out of place in the circumstances. Suppose in- 

 stead that the mansion was built on the sloping ground D, and 

 that the upright was a balustrade in front of it, how different 

 would be the effect of B 1 and the slope G H. Here, too, we 

 could see whence much earth would come for the formation of 

 the terrace, and that close at hand. If such were the position of 

 the house, then, though the sloping bank G H would do well 

 enough, or be made more artistic by a steeper slope, a much better 

 artistic and architectural effect would be produced by doing away 

 with the slope, and having a perpendicular wall as at C. On the 

 other hand, if the front of the house extended upwards from the 

 perpendicular A, and the perpendicular c in front of terrace 

 as now, and the upward sloping park as atD, then the horizontal 

 E should not be wider than necessary for security, and as little 

 would be done as possible to prevent the eye of a person on the 

 terrace at A resting complacently on the park scenery at D. 

 (To be continued.) 



Saie op Obchibs.— Another sale of theBe took place at Mr. 

 Stevens's rooms, King Street, Covent Oarden, on Wednesday 

 last, when the total amount realised amounted to nearly £500. 

 The following are some of the prices obtained :— iErides Shros- 

 den, £16 10s. ; Cypripedium Lowii, £20 ; C. villosum, £6 10s. ; 



Cymbidium eburneum, £15 ; Saccolabium ourvifolium, £12 12s. ; 

 Sobralia superba, Woolley's variety, £10 10s. ; Cattleya superba 

 with twenty-two bulbs, £6 6s. ; another plant of the same, £5 ; 

 Rodriguezia secunda major, £5 5s.; Phaleenopsis amabilis, 

 £5 15s. 



ORCHARD-HOUSES. 



I cannot allow the controversy respecting orchard-houses to 

 close without striking one blow in their defence. In 1860 I was 

 advised to build an orchard-house, but 1 had so great a preju- 

 dice against trees in pots that I demurred. In the autumn of 

 that year I went to see Mr. Pearson's houses at Chilwell, near 

 Nottingham, and, although expecting little gratification, I was 

 charmed. The famed gardens of the Hesperides with their golden 

 fruit, which we read of in our youth, and the gorgeous descrip- 

 tions of the " Arabian Nights," never warmed my imagination 

 half so much as the reality of Mr. Pearson's orchard-house show. 

 My scepticism vanished, and I became a convert at once, and a 

 disciple of Pearson. 



My house is 60 by 20 feet ; it has no artificial heat, and the 

 climate is, therefore, always pleasant, and one can walk in it with- 

 out the, to me, disagreeable sensation which artificial heat com- 

 municates. My wife, and a labourer who knows nothing of 

 gardening, but who has sense enough to follow Mr. Pearson's 

 directions, are the staff. In the early spring we have a flower 

 garden in the varied bloom of each description of fruit ; and the 

 bees we introduce to fertilise the bloom, work and hum away 

 without annoying any of us. We watch the growing fruit with 

 never-failing interest, and the only alloy of our pleasure is the 

 gathering of it ; for we can hardly help wishing that in all its 

 beauty it might hang on the tree for ever. 



When the summer is not entirely sunless we think the flavour 

 of the fruit superior to that grown out of doors, because un- 

 chilled by frost, or too rapid changes of atmosphere, and it 

 escapes the coddled flavour bo general with fruit grown by 

 artificial heat. 



As regards quantity, the first year we had a fair crop, though 

 many of our trees were small, and some of them maiden plants. 

 Last year, notwithstanding the sunless summer, we had a good 

 show on the trees, many of them bearing three dozen — they were 

 thinned down to that number — fine fruit, and the smaller trees 

 from one to two dozen each. , 



In size our Peaches were from 7 to 10 inches in circumference, 

 and a Stanwick Nectarine we measured was 8 inches. We 

 exhibited six of our trees full of fine fruit at our Horticultural 

 Show last August, and they surprised and pleased both pro- 

 fessional gardeners and amateurs. This year the fruit has set 

 well, and there is every prospect of a good crop. 



Into the mercantile part of the question I do not choose to 

 enter ; but if any one wishes for an enjoyable spot let him set up 

 an orchard-house, and from the beginning to the end of the 

 year it will aff'rd him a never-failing Bource of interest. 



I say " we," because I speak also for my wife, who is my 

 head gardener, and joins me in all my love and praise of orchard- 

 houses, and in a vote of thanks to Mr. Rivers who first introduced 

 them, and to Mr. Pearson, who has spread the taste for them 

 through the midland counties. — Abeam Bass, Moat Sank, 

 Burton- on - Trent. 



SEAWEED AS A MANURE FOE ASPARAGUS, 

 SEA-E!ALE, AND POTATOES. 



At page 258 of The Jottbnai of Hobticuihtbe appeared 

 a brief account of the good effects of seaweed as a winter- 

 covering to Sea-kale, and also the query whether a similar ap- 

 plication to AsparaguB would be attended with equally good 

 results. My own experience in the matter enables me to say 

 that if the soil is dry and porous it may be used ad libitum and 

 with none but good results. The finest Asparagus I ever saw, 

 whether as regards size, quantity, or delicacy of flavour, was 

 grown in a soil three-fourths sand, and this resting on a gravelly 

 bottom. The beds had a thick covering of seaweed every 

 winter, and had occasional doses of the drainings of the dung- 

 hill in summer. This with a slight stirring of the surface of 

 the beds in spring after the covering was removed, was all the 

 management they ever had. 



I have also used it as a winter-covering for Sea-kale in a way 

 similar to that spoken of by "T. W. B. ;" only I had the sea- 



